In any vehicle there are levers and pedals which control various functions. Often, it is desired to prevent accidental engine starting, vehicular movement or other result when the lever or pedal is moved. In a typical situation involving a vehicle having a standard transmission, a foot-operated clutch is utilized to disengage the engine from the drive train during gear shifting. Obviously, it is also desirable that the drive train be disengaged when the engine of the vehicle is being started. Although the gear lever may be left in neutral to avoid the danger associated with starting an engine during drive gear engagement, a more positive safety mechanism is one in which the clutch must be depressed by the operator before the ignition circuit can be energized. Various start interlock systems have been employed to prevent "starting in gear", but they are generally incapable of adjustment as often needed, complex and relatively expensive.
Similarly, in vehicles equipped with so-called "cruise control" it is desirable that the cruise control mechanism be disabled when gears are shifted. There are no available simple systems for disablement of cruise control in response to manual clutch pedal travel, despite the clear need for such an arrangement. Finally, especially with electronic fuel injection (EFI), it is desirable that the EFI system be actuated as engine starting is initiated, and this function also could advantageously be made responsive to clutch pedal travel. Some mechanisms to perform these functions on an individual basis have been devised, but they are frequently cumbersome, expensive, complicated, and impossible to adjust to meet changing conditions.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a compact switch assembly for vehicular levers and pedals.
It is another object of the present invention to provide self-adjusting switches for start interlock, cruise control and fuel flow in vehicles having standard transmissions.
It is a further object of the present invention to simplify the adjustment and re-setting of manual clutch switches.
A still further object of the present invention is the provision of an assembled switch system ready for installation in a vehicle.